SIPWU 6.19.15 – E3 Edition: Microsoft

E3 has come in full force and we have the info. Microsoft is up first in a series of updates covering the event. Plenty of videos inside for those that would rather see what went on.

Halo

343 Industries revealed some more footage of the Halo 5: Guardians campaign. The campaign footage shown was of Agent Locke’s Osiris team looking for Master Chief and coming face to face with Prometheans.

Also revealed was a brand new multiplayer mode for Halo 5 called Warzone. Warzone is an entirely new experience that pits 24 players into a team based battle on larger environments. The size increase is only half of what makes Warzone unique, as players not only half to fight each other, but must fight enemies on the map hostile to everybody, which bears similarities to Halo Wars’ hostile factions such as the Flood and the Sentinels. A trailer for Warzone was shown during the Halo section of the conference and can be seen below.

You can also watch this ViDoc released by 343 that was not shown at the conference that details the concepts of Warzone in depth.

343 also revealed the Limited and Collector’s Editions of the games. The Limited Edition ($99.99) will contain the Warzone, The Fall of Reach animated series, a Metal Earth Guardian Model, a steelbook case, Spartan Locke’s classified orders, and dossiers on Blue Team and Fireteam Osiris. The Collector’s Edition ($249.00) contains a full-game download as well as the Limited Edition items plus a statue feature Master Chief and Agent Locke.

Image Courtesy of Gamestop:

Halo 5: Guardians will be released on October 27th, 2015 exclusively on Xbox One. Check out the E3 reveal below:

Other Gaming News

Microsoft kicked off E3 this year by showing that some its biggest exclusives were within reach of the gamers. Games from the Gears of War, Halo, Forza, Tomb Raider, and Fable franchises took center stage at the show among third party titles and indie developers with unique games. If these titles weren’t obviously popular enough, a trailer entitled “Jump Ahead” showcased all of these titles.

You can watch the whole conference in the video posted below, or check out the highlights in the following sections, or you can do both.

Forza Motorsport had a brief showing this year with the usual cover car making an appearance on stage. Highlights from the first look include the track list going up to 26 different locations, 450 cars, night racing and rain. The game is currently available for digital pre-order in three different versions on the Xbox Store. A Standard Edition for $59.99 which includes a ten year anniversary car pack for pre-ordering, a Deluxe Edition for $79.99 with a Fast and Furious pack and VIP membership along with the standard bundle, and a Ultimate Edition for $99.99 with all previous items plus the car pass and an early release five days before anyone else. Forza Motorsport 6 will be available September 15th.

If you haven’t heard by now, Microsoft will be adding backwards compatibility to the Xbox One later this year. Preview Program members currently have access to 21 games with more to be rolled out later on. Digital games will appear in your list of games available to download while game discs can be installed right through the system like current games. Each game will receive Xbox One features like Twitch streaming, saving clips and screenshots. Your saves should be able to transfer by using the cloud storage option on the 360. Achievements will also transfer so you can continue earning them on the Xbox One. Not every game will be available due to the publisher/developer needing to give approval, but most should be able to transfer over time.

Also revealed is a new Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller. This new controller features changeable controller sticks, a magnetic D-pad that can be swapped out, four additional buttons on the underside of the controller, and stainless steel used in some areas to extend durability. An app will be available alongside the controller to completely remap the button commands to suit your playstyle. Up to two versions can be saved directly onto the controller and switched on the fly with a slider. The Elite Controller will be available later this year for $149.99.

Many of you probably already have an understanding of EA Access, EA’s Xbox One exclusive game hub that provides an enhanced experience for EA games. This chiefly takes form in discounts, early access, and access to full free games. To add onto this, Titanfall has been added to the EA Access Vault, where members can play the game for free. Later this summer, Dragon Age: Inquisition will be added to the Vault. To sweeten the deal even further, all Xbox Live Gold members gain full access to the EA Access Vault up until June 22nd. This provides access to over a dozen games for free until the beginning of next week, including Titanfall.

Also announced at the end of the EA Access briefing was Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 with its official world premier trailer.

The Announcement Trailer for Dark Souls III was shown at the Xbox conference confirming the third game in the series. While you may be excited, only the trailer was shown and did not reveal any info.

A new trailer was shown for The Division with commentary from members of the sleeper group, highlighting their role in the aftermath of catastrophe. With the trailer, it was announced that Xbox One players will be the first to play The Division in its exclusive beta this December.

Following that announcement it was revealed that the Rainbow Six: Vegas series of Rainbow Six games were backwards compatible with the Xbox One. Even better was the announcement that both games were to come for free with a copy of Rainbow Six Siege, netting you a trio of counterterrorist experiences for the price of one as soon as October 27th. All of this, topped off with a multiplayer gameplay trailer for Siege.

Gigantic is meant to be a new, Squad-styled competitive game for Xbox One and Windows 10. The game pits you against a team of 5-players with your own 5-player team. You can play as a variety of different characters using different methods and playstyles. This, paired up with your team’s Guardian, creates a dynamic level of play. Gigantic is free-to-play and will be in beta in August.

HoloLens also made an appearance with a Minecraft demo that was truly impressive. So far, other VR technology has strapped a screen to your face in an attempt to immerse you into the world. HoloLens takes a different approach by bringing the game into your world by projecting the images as holograms. It’s not something that can be explained so just watch the video below and you’ll see what I mean.

Deals of the Week

Lots of news to sort through this week so the deals are just a link. A couple of free games as well so be sure to check it out.